Pilot Ground school studyingThere is much material to learnYou have other school matters to learnWe want you to succeed in both

StudyPassing the exam and the interview does not

guarantee a spot on the scholarship:The higher marks and the number of places

available are also criterias.Unless you are extremely smart, this cannot

be achieved without studying and reviewing class material.

StudyAlmost an art according to some peopleWill vary with individuals, but general

guidelines are the same for mostThe following points do work with most people.The main factors are discipline and regularity.You cannot sacrifice your regular school topics

for this class. You will have to balance your studying programYou should then start early in the sessionYou will find useful tips in this presentation

What is it?The devotion of time and attention to acquire

knowledge, thru books or other meansStudies have shown that:

If you study an average topic with a moderate difficulty level

You might forget up to 70% of the material within a week.

And you are loosing that knowledge more slowly after that.

This will be compensated by regular exposure (review)

ReviewsTo offset this trend, reviews are

recommendedIt is essential that a knowledge retention of

at least 70-75% be maintainedFor the average 45 minute lesson, the first

review, lasting 15 minutes, should be done within 48 hours

The degree of knowledge retention should return to aprox 100%

ReviewsThe second review should be about 10

minutes, 7 days after the class.The third, lasting about 5 minutes, 28 days

after class.Each review should reinforce knowledge and

bring the retention back to satisfactory levels.Naturally these are guidelines but they do

work

Distraction factorIs really about attention, or lack of itat the expense of attention paid over there

instead of over here.So you can say that there is a limited quantity

availableAttention is a limited commodity- if it is

strongly drawn to one particular thing, it is necessary to withdraw from other competing things

Unrelated matters can capture attention

Study strategiesSchedule a time to start, and do it Establish a routine that works for youChoose a study area away from distractionsStudy in blocks of an hour or so, and then

stretch or take a pause.Review previous material and then go in the

new study topicStudying is a personnal thing. You will

develop technics that work best for you.

Don’t fool yourselfSome people procastrinate. Push their tasks to later, as late as

possibleSome say that they work better under pressure. Well, it’s probably because they are

always pushing back at the last minute, until they have no choice.

Then they are under self induced pressure,

THEY DON’T KNOW BETTER

Don’t fool yourselfCramming is not efficient Remember, you also have school study and

probably exams or term papers during that period.

You need to balance your studying; so start early to stay ahead of the game.

Here is another excuseSome people say that they need to secure a

block of many hours with a coffee pot to study.

Naturally, it is always difficult to get there; there are always things that happen to disrupt that planned period of time, hence pushing it back.

Solution: schedule yourself in periods of 15 minutes, they are far easier to schedule

Use Flash cards:

Flash CardsUseful for complex or difficult material , or

memory itemsPocket size, so you can carry them with youOn one side, write the question or topicOn the other side the answerSo if you have even 5 minutes, you can go

thru a few of them and secure your knowledge.

A bunch of 5-15 minutes periods add up quickly

Another trickUse the first letter of each element of the answer

and construct a catchy phrase.

These are called MnemonicsFor example:RED RIGHT RETREAT means that If at night, while flying, you see a red navigation

light, on the right side, it means that the other aircraft is coming towards

you so Retreat means take avoidance action.BTW This is also thru for watercrafts.

Mnemonic? What is thatThe word mnemonic is derived from the

Ancient Greek word μνημονικός (mnēmonikos), meaning "of memory"[2] and is related to Mnemosyne ("remembrance"), the name of the goddess of memory in mnemonic ( with a silent "m")

Mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids information retention.

Mnemonics aim to translate information into a form that the human brain can retain better than its original form.

Other examplesIf you are not sure which is Latitude and which is Longitude,

use the following “Lat is Fat” - Latitude goes around the equator beltAnother example:Pre-landing: GUMPS - Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture,

Propeller, Speed. I use this one on every aircraft I fly, while on final before landing

, on top of the normal check list: I fly different types of aircraft Some aircraft have fixed landing gear and other are retractable; amphibian land on water with gear up and on land with gear

down…I don’t want to have the gear in the wrong position while touching down so I have developped the habit of doing this check all the time.

Navigation MnemonicsTrue Vanity Makes Dull

CompanyTrue = True heading Vanity=V is for magnetic Variation so + 0r –

magnetic Variation Makes=is M for Magnetic headingDull = D for Deviation (+ or -wind drift)Company= C for Compass heading

Navigation MnemonicOr the other way around“Can Ducks Make Vertical Turns?"

C = compass reading. Apply D = take away Deviation, (wind drift)to get M = Magnetic heading and V = take away magnetic Variation to get T = True heading.

Day of the examIt is important to be well rested on the day of the

exam. Staying up to study all night is not going to work, since you will be exhausted physically and mentally.

Your brain intake capacity is also diminished by physical exhaustion. Your capacity to concentrate is affected.

You should also have a good meal before the exam. Your brain needs food too.

Coffee is a booster, but doesn’t last long enough. I’m not saying don’t take coffee, but not just that.

ConclusionThis ground school material is sufficient to pass

the written exam ifyou have the capacity to retain the material

If not, you have to study.

It is understood that you are all students and sometimes you will not be able to come to class. You must then study on your own and supply me

with an explanation as to why you could not attend.

Normally, you should have an attendance of 80% to be recommended.

Good Studying